Good morning!

Here’s your Daily News for Wednesday, November 10.

 

1. Amazon adding three Alabama locations, 900 jobs

• About 900 new jobs will be created as Amazon opens three new facilities near the Alabama cities of Montgomery, Huntsville and Birmingham, the company said Tuesday.
• A 650,000-square-foot warehouse opening in Montgomery next year will provide more than 500 jobs as it receives products from vendors and sends them to fulfillment centers for shipment to customers, the Seattle-based company said in a statement.
• A center for fulfilling orders for large items like home appliances will locate in Limestone County near Huntsville in 2022, employing more than 250 people, and about 150 will be employed at a delivery station opening in greater Birmingham in November, Amazon said.
• Read more HERE.

 

 

2. Internal poll shows Britt ahead in Senate race

• Have you seen this new internal poll from the Katie Britt Senate campaign?
• It has the Alabama political world all a-twitter, and for good reason. The poll shows Britt with a lead in the race over Congressman Mo Brooks, albeit a slight one.
• The online survey conducted by TargetPoint on behalf of the campaign showed Britt leading a ballot test 31% to Brooks’ 30%, with Mike Durant at 12% and Jessica Taylor at 7%. A full 20% of respondents were undecided, according to the poll.
• There are two caveats here…
• First, it’s an internal poll paid for by the campaign. Longtime readers have seen me make the point before when reporting on internal polls that campaigns typically won’t waste money on bad polling just to get a good headline, but internals are still internals.
• Second, it’s an online survey, not the traditional method of phone calls from pollsters.
• For these reasons we asked the Britt campaign for more details of the survey, including methodology, demography and geography. They graciously obliged.
• ADN readers demand more and we strive to deliver for you.
• So read my full write up on this poll, its details and how it compares to others HERE.

 

3. Advocates suggest housing assistance for those leaving prison

• The Alabama Commission on Reentry heard presentations on Tuesday about the need for expanding housing assistance for those leaving prison as a way to reduce recidivism.
• The state currently provides no housing assistance for the majority of people who are leaving prison at the end of their sentences.
• The group homes or halfway houses that do exist in the state typically require payments immediately and costs can range from $500 to $650 per month. Those just released from prison often do not have bank accounts, employment, or even IDs making it impossible to pay upfront.
• Carla Crowder, the executive director for Alabama Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, presented her findings to the commission on what reentry housing is already available in the state and how it can be improved.
• She said housing is one of the biggest factors of whether or not a person is sent back to prison.
• The commission is tasked with identifying, implementing and promoting policies and strategies to support the successful reentry of state inmates into society. Tuesday’s meeting was its fifth meeting of the year and members have agreed to hold more meetings beyond their originally planned conclusion early next year.
• Read more from Caroline Beck HERE.

 

 

4. DOJ announces environmental justice probe in Lowndes County

• The U.S. Department of Justice said Tuesday that it has embarked on a historic environmental justice investigation into an impoverished Alabama county’s longstanding wastewater problems, which have left some residents with sewage in their yards.
• Federal prosecutors in the department’s civil rights division will examine whether state and local health departments have discriminated against Black residents of Lowndes County and have caused them to unjustifiably bear the risk of hookworm infections and other adverse health effects associated with inadequate wastewater treatment, officials said.
• “Sanitation is a basic human need, and no one in the United States should be exposed to risk of illness and other serious harm because of inadequate access to safe and effective sewage management,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said.
• The Alabama Department of Public Health and the Lowndes County Health Department must operate their onsite wastewater disposal and infectious diseases and outbreaks programs in a safe and equitable manner, officials said. “State and local health officials are obligated, under federal civil rights laws, to protect the health and safety of all their residents,” Clarke said.
• Justice Department officials said officials in Alabama are cooperating, and they emphasized no conclusions have been reached regarding whether there’s evidence of racial bias in the state and county’s federally funded health departments.
• Read more from Kim Chandler HERE.

 

 

5. Inflation: producer prices rise 8.6%, matching September record high

• Inflation at the wholesale level rose 8.6% last month from a year earlier, matching September’s record annual gain and offering more evidence that inflationary pressures are not yet easing.
• The Labor Department reported Tuesday that its producer price index — which measures inflation before it hits consumers — rose 0.6% last month from September, pushed higher by surging gasoline prices.
• More than 60% of the September-October increase in overall producer prices was caused by a 1.2% increase in the price of wholesale goods as opposed to services. A 6.7% jump in wholesale gasoline prices helped drive goods prices up.
• Mostly dormant for decades, inflation has returned to the United States this year. The economy’s strong rebound from the 2020 coronavirus caught many businesses by surprise. Their scramble to meet unexpectedly strong demand has created shortages of labor, raw materials and goods and snarled traffic at ports and freight yards. The result has been higher prices, and the supply squeeze is expected to last at least well into 2022.
• Read more HERE.

 

 

Headlines

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Amazon adding 3 new Alabama sites, 900 jobs

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Internal poll shows Britt ahead in U.S. Senate race

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Advocates suggest housing assistance for those leaving prison

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – DOJ announces environmental justice probe in Alabama county

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Producer prices rise 8.6%, matching September record high

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Commission on state’s pandemic response recommends legislation

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Voting rights pioneers honored at Alabama state archives

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Biden asking Democrats do so much with so little in Congress

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Congress mandates new car technology to stop drunken driving

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – 83 year-old Alabamian is oldest to hike Appalachian Trail

 

AL.COM – Amazon creating 900 Alabama jobs with major Birmingham, Huntsville, Montgomery expansions

 

AL.COM – UA, Mercedes-Benz, Alabama Power collaborate on electric vehicle research, development

 

AL.COM – Birmingham Northern Beltline gets $360 million from federal infrastructure bill

 

AL.COM – Scientists reject Alabama company’s argument COVID vaccines contain aborted fetal cells

 

AL.COM – Blood supply dangerously low, donors needed, UAB says

 

AL.COM – Ex-Lee County DA Brandon Hughes sentenced to 10 months for ethics violations

 

AL.COM – Mayor Tommy Battle on state of Huntsville: ‘People want to be us’

 

AL.COM – Bloomberg awards $1.8 million to Birmingham Promise

 

Montgomery Advertiser – Amazon to bring 500 jobs to new project in the River Region, 900 jobs across Alabama

 

Montgomery Advertiser – DOJ opens investigation into Black residents’ access to sewage disposal in Lowndes County

 

Decatur Daily – More relief for renters distributed in October

 

Decatur Daily – Coroner: Man struck and killed on Alabama 24

 

Decatur Daily – 2 charged in Decatur forgery case, 4 others sought

 

Times Daily – Veterans will be celebrated with ceremonies on Thursday

 

Times Daily – Hamilton announces candidacy for Lauderdale County sheriff

 

Times Daily – Officials clarify vote on Colbert Schools employee

 

Anniston Star – Transportation, public safety issues addressed by Oxford City Council

 

Anniston Star – Road improvement at Exchange will wait for Christmas rush to end

 

Anniston Star – Blood providers urgently need donors to alleviate ‘dire’ shortage

 

WBRC Fox 6 Birmingham – Gadsden woman warns others about job scam

 

WBRC Fox 6 Birmingham – WARNING: GRAPHIC – Man wanted for shooting dog in the neck with crossbow

 

WBRC Fox 6 Birmingham – Rainbow City PD gets $40K homeland security grant

 

Tuscaloosa News – Officials: Body of missing UA student found in Black Warrior River

 

Tuscaloosa News – Body of missing UA student found in Black Warrior River: What we know

 

Tuscaloosa News – Boats, divers and drones deployed as search for missing University of Alabama student continues

 

YellowHammer News – Chuck Karr will get nod as UAH interim president

 

YellowHammer News – Drew Harrell named executive director of Business Council of Alabama’s ProgressPAC

 

YellowHammer News – Alabama Forestry Association endorses State Sen. Andrew Jones’ reelection bid

 

Gadsden Times – The Alabama Department of Archives and History introduces first women to its statuary hall

 

Gadsden Times – Rainbow Middle School pays tribute to veterans

 

Dothan Eagle – The AP Interview: Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen says metaverse poses risks, is attempt to change conversation

 

Dothan Eagle – Strict vaccine mandate begins for Los Angeles businesses

 

Dothan Eagle – Nissan returns to profit, ups forecast despite chips crunch

 

Opelika-Auburn News – The AP Interview: Facebook whistleblower fears the metaverse

 

Opelika-Auburn News – Stocks retreat in Asia as China inflation pushes higher

 

WSFA Montgomery – Alabama Shakespeare Festival prepares for on-stage production Cinderella

 

WSFA Montgomery – Tallassee City Council asks state to investigate ‘misconduct’ allegations

 

WSFA Montgomery – Montgomery 2018 murder suspect arrested again on new murder charge

 

WAFF Huntsville – Markers stolen off of three Huntsville Veteran graves

 

WAFF Huntsville – New analysis shines light on Decatur’s toxic air

 

WAFF Huntsville – Freedom of speech lawsuit filed against UAH

 

WKRG Mobile – ‘Everyone around me was dying’: Young COVID-19 patient makes miraculous recovery

 

WKRG Mobile – Video shows 15-year-old girl sucker punched during basketball game

 

WKRG Mobile – Court doc: Wilmer woman uploaded obscene images of person under 17 to Google

 

WTVY Dothan – Dothan murder suspect posts bond, freed from jail

 

WTVY Dothan – Sheriff: Man arrested for breaking into Pike County Jail to deliver contraband

 

WTVY Dothan – Two arrested in two separate Geneva burglary cases

 

WASHINGTON POST – Trump White House records can be turned over to House Jan. 6 investigative committee, judge rules

 

WASHINGTON POST – Tensions rise among Republicans over infrastructure bill and whether any agreement with Biden should be tolerated

 

WASHINGTON POST – COP26 climate summit draft reveals which fights remain

 

NEW YORK TIMES – COP26 Live Updates: Draft of Climate Accord Calls for Tougher Action

 

NEW YORK TIMES – Judge Rejects Trump’s Bid to Keep Papers Secret in Jan. 6 Inquiry

 

NEW YORK TIMES – The Vaccine Mandate Kicks In at 100 Employees. What If You’re at 98?

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL – U.S. Inflation Likely Reached 30-Year High in October

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL – Tesla Share Price Stabilizes Premarket After Steep Selloff

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL – Rising Oil Prices Put Biden in a Bind Over Climate Pledges

 

 

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